The present invention relates generally to bicycle wheels and, more particularly, to a bicycle wheel assembly having different spoke lacing patterns on the opposite lateral sides of the wheel.
Several aspects of bicycle operation rely on the construction of the bicycle wheel assembly. Commonly, a number of spokes extend between a hub and a rim. The spokes are generally constructed and oriented to support both radial and torsional loading of the wheel assembly. The spokes generally extend between flanges positioned at opposite sides of the hub to nipples that are supported at the rim. The spokes must be constructed and oriented to withstand the loading of the bicycle as well as for communicating the operating forces to the tire. In addition to the frequently linear driving and braking forces, the wheel assembly must also be able to withstand lateral forces commonly associated with turning operations as well as operation during windy conditions.
Commonly, spokes extend between the hub and the rim in either of a radial or a tangential manner. As is commonly understood, the tangential spokes communicate driving torques between the rim and the hub and limit the bending forces subjected to any radial spokes. The spokes of a tire assembly are commonly provided in two sets of spokes that extend from the rim to respectively opposite lateral sides of the hub. The sets of spokes are commonly referred to as drive side spokes, or spokes oriented nearest the gear cluster and/or chain, and non-drive side spokes, or those spokes laterally offset from the drive side spokes.
With respect to the drive side spoke set, bicycle drive systems have progressed to have an increasing number of gears associated with one or both of the hub and the sprocket. These gears accentuate the mechanical advantage associated with riding on steep inclines, strong winds, and/or well conditioned riders. As the number of gears associated with the hub increases, the hub flange nearest the hub gear cluster is displaced further inboard nearer the longitudinal centerline of the bicycle to provide the clearance necessary for the interaction of the chain with the gear cluster. Unfortunately, offsetting the drive side hub flange nearer the centerline of the bicycle reduces the lateral stiffness of the wheel and can result in an unbalanced condition with respect to the drive side and non-drive side spoke set tensions.
To address the difference in lateral stiffness with respect to the opposite lateral sides of the wheel assembly, some wheel assemblies increase the number of radial drive side spokes and/or simply have more drive side spokes than non-drive side spokes. Unfortunately, these solutions present their own drawbacks. Although radial spokes increase the lateral stiffness performance of a respective lateral side of a wheel assembly, the additional lateral spokes do not contribute to the efficient transfer a peddling and/or braking torque between the hub and the rim. Furthermore, increasing the number of spokes of the wheel assembly undesirably increases the overall weight of the wheel assembly.
Others have manipulated the cross-sectional shape of the rim to manipulate the angle that the spokes interact with the rim. Increasing the angle between the spoke and the centerline of the tire increases the angle of attack of the spokes and thereby improves the lateral bracing of the rim. A spoke bed, or the holes formed in the rim that cooperate with the spokes or nipples, is offset from a centerline of the rim such that the drive side spokes interact with the rim at a narrower angle than the non-drive side spokes. Such wheel assemblies have similar spoke patterns on the lateral sides of the wheel assembly although the spokes on the opposite lateral sides interact with the rim at different angles. Although such a construction forms a cost effective wheel and a wheel that is simple to service by having similar spokes on the opposite lateral sides of the wheel assembly, it is envisioned that a wheel assembly could be provided that has improved lateral stiffness performance, efficient transmission of power from the hub to the rim, and without unnecessarily increasing the weight of the wheel assembly.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a wheel assembly and method of forming a wheel that provides a bicycle wheel assembly that is lightweight, robust and efficiently communicates energy between the hub and the rim.